Electric stop device for knitting-machines.



v F. W. SUMNER. ELECTRIC STOP DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, 1914.

Patented Feb.23, 1915.

Gees: I

"HE NORRIS PETI'ERS CO., PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHING TON D- C.

FREDERICK W. SUMNER, OF CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC STOP DEVICE FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed March 4, 1914. Serial No. 822,303.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. SUM- NER, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Canton, county of Norfolk,Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in ElectricStop Devices for Knitting-Machines &c., of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like characters on the drawings representing like partsin each of the several views.

This invention relates to stop devices for textile machinery such asknitting machines, of a type adapted to stop the mechanism automaticallywhen there is a defect in material supplied to the machine. \Vhilehaving other and more general fields of'usefulness the invention is welladapted and designed for use with the general type of knitting machinefor producing knitted padding and the like as shown in patent toTownsend, No. 229,487 patented June 29, 1880. In the present preferredand illustrative embodiment the invention is shown as embodied in adevice adapted to stop the machine whenever a bunch or spot ofunevenness or imperfection occurs in the roving as it passes through theguide trumpet to the knitting mechanism. In accordance with my inventionI mount such guide trumpet with a capability of small yieldingdisplacement when such bunch or unevenness in the roving or sliver isencountered, and provide an electrical circuit so disposed that suchdisplacementv closes a normally open circuit and operates a trip todisconnect the power clutch of the machine.

The invention will be better understood from the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and willbe thereafter pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in elevation with partsbroken away, showing the working portions of a knitting or like machinewith which my invention is concerned; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionshowing the guide trumpet and its carrier in elevation; and Fig. 3 is apartial plan view showing the guide trumpet and its carrier mounting.

A fragmentary portion of the frame work of the machlne is indicated bythe upright columns 10 at each side of the machine. In

,slidably fitted to an upper portion of the frame, guides for thetrumpet carriage are mounted, these being shown as spaced apart rods 11extending across right columns 10.

The trumpet carriage is indicated at 12 the rods 11. This carriage is inthe operation of the machine moved back and forth rapidly across thewidth of the machine preferably by cords 13 which may be operatedsubstantially as in the above noted patent; or the carriage may bereciprocated in any other suitable way. On the carriage 12 I pivotallymount as at 14: a trumpet holder formed as a lever, one arm 15 of whichhas the trumpet proper or guide 16 carried at its end, and the other armof which is formed as divergent legs 17 equipped at their ends withsubstantially spaced apart upstanding contact lugs 18. The trumpet ascarried by the lever arm 15 is normally held yieldingly in a centralintermediate position by opposing springs 19 acting at each side thereofand held at their other ends by arms 20 adjustably clamped to thecarriage 12 by clamp bolts 21. Thus as the clamp bolts 21 are releasedthe arms 20 may be swung to adjust their tension as required and thenclamped securely in adjusted position by setting up said clamp bolts 21.A second upper trumpet guide 22 may be provided, which is shown ascarried by an upstanding post 23 secured at 24: to the carriage 12 in anopen space 25 between the legs 17.

*In accordance with my invention an electrical circuit is provided, oneconnection of which is grounded on the machine frame work as indicatedat 26 so that it thus extends to the contact lugs 18. The otherconnection 27 of said circuit is connected to a contact member extendingacross the machine in proximity to said lugs 18, this being shown as awire 28 held taut between insulating posts'29 fixed at the sides of themachine frame work. Thus it will be seen that as the trumpet 16 isdisplaced from normal position one or the other of the lugs 18 willcontact with wire 28 and close the circuit, and by reason of thesubstantially spaced apart relation of the lugs 18, a relatively smallamount of trumpet displacement is sufficient for this purpose. Thecircuit connections 26, 27 with a source of electric energy 30interposed in one of them the machine and fixed to the uplead to theterminals of a magnetic latch trip device 31 which upon being energizedretracts the latch 32 and releases the lever arm 33 which is normallycaught under said latch as shown. The lever arm 33 which may alsoconstitute a treadle, is pivoted to the frame work at 34 and constitutesone arm of a bell crank lever, the other arm 35 of which extends upwardand has a link 36 connecting it with a clutch operating lever 37 pivotedat 38 at the base of the machine. The clutch lever 37 has a usual pinand grooved collar connection 39 to a clutch mechanism which may be ofthe usual cone operated friction type indicated generally at 40 whichconnects a driving pulley 41 to the prime operating shaft 42 of themachine. A spring 43 connected at one end to the frame work has itsother end connected to pull the lever 35, this tending through the link36 to operate the clutch lever 37 in a direction to disconnect theclutch so that the pulley 41 does not drive shaft 42. It may now beunderstood that so long as the latch 32 is projected forward over theextremity of the treadle arm 33, the clutch will be held engaged and themachine continue in operation. As soon however as an imperfection suchas a bunchy spot or area, or an .uneven portion of the roving or sliveris encountered by the trumpet, it will be slightly displaced from normalposition, one or the other of. springs 19 yielding according to thedirection in which the trumpet carriage is then moving so that one orthe other of the spaced apart con-tacts 18 will engage the wire 28completing the circuit and tripping the magnetically operated latch 32permitting the spring 43 to disconnect the clutch and stop the machine.It will be understood that the described stop device is also capable ofoperation when the roving runs out, by merely making a knot or otherobstruction at the roving end.

It is to be noted that the mechanism'required for my improved stopdevice, though certain and effective in operation, is exceedingly simplewith few working parts and not liable to get out of order. Further, thatit may be applied to the ordinary tread le controlled clutch mechanismwithout any changes or additions except for applying the magnetic latchtrip and the swinging mounting for the trumpet guide, along with thenecessary electrical connections between these parts.

I am aware that the invention can be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit thereof and I therefore desire thepresent embodiment to be considered as illustrative and not restrictiveboth as to details of construction and as to the specific use mentioned,and refer rather to the appended claims to indicate the scope of theinvention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Lett rs Pat nt s; w

1. In a machine of the kind described, driving gearing having adisconnecting clutch device biased toward disconnecting position, anelectrically controlled latch for holding said clutch in operativeposition, a trumpet guide for a roving or the like having a mountingguided for reciprocating movement across the machine, spring means forholding said trumpet on said mounting yieldingly in a normal positionbut with a capability of limited displacement in opposite directionsfrom normal position, and an electric circuit for energizing said latchhaving connections adapted to be closed by a displacement of saidtrumpet from normal position for tripping said latch to disconnect saidclutch.

2. In a machine of the kind described, comprising a slide way extendingacross the machine, a carriage fitted to reciprocate across the machineon said slide way, a swinging arm fulcrumed to Said carriage bearing atrumpet guide for a roving or the like and also bearing spaced apartcontacts, springs mounted to act 011 said arm for holding it normally inan intermediate position but with a capability of limited displacementin opposite directions from normal position, a fixed contact memberextending across the machine in position to be engaged by said contactson said arm when said arm is displaced, a driving mechanism for themachine having a disconnecting clutch device biased toward disconnectingposition, an electrically controlled latch for holding said clutch inoperative position, and an electric circuit for energizing said latchhaving its terminals extending to said fixed contact member and to saidspaced apart contacts on said arm.

3. In a machine of the kind described, an operating mechanism having adisconnecting element for stopping the machine, means for holding saidelement connected for the machine to operate, mechanism includinganelectrically controlleddevice for moving said element to disconnectingposition, a carriage guide extending across the machine, a carriagemounted thereon to be reciprocated across the machine, a lever fulcrumedto said carriage having an arm extending in one direction bearing atrumpet guide for a roving or the like, and an arm extending in anotherdirection having spaced apart electric contacts, oppositely actingsprings for normally holding said lever in an intermediate position, afixed contact member extending across the machine in position to beengaged by said spaced apart contacts on said lever arm when said leveris displaced from normal position, and an electric circuit for operatingsaid electrically controlled device having terminals leading to saidfixed contact member and to said spaced apart movable contacts.

4:. In a machine of the kind described, an operating mechanism having adisconnecting element for stopping the machine, means for holding saidelement connected for the machine to operate, mechanism including anelectrically controlled device for moving said element to disconnectingposition, a carriage guide extending across the machine, a carriagemounted thereon to be reciprocated across the machine, a lever fulcrumedto said carriage having an arm extending in one direction bearing atrumpet guide for a roving or the like, and an arm extending in anotherdirection having spaced apart electric contacts, spring means forholding said lever in an intermediate position having provision foradjustment as to tension thereof in each direction, a fixed contactmember extending across the machine in position to be engaged by saidspaced apart contacts on said lever arm When said lever is displacedfrom normal position, and an electric circuit for operating saidelectrically controlled device having terminals leading to said fixedcontact member and to said spaced apart movable contacts.

In a machine of the kind described, an operating mechanism having adisconnecting element for stopping the machine, means Copies of thispatent may be for holding said element connected for the machine tooperate, mechanism including an electrically controlled device formoving said element to disconnecting position, a carriage guideextending across the machine, a carriage mounted thereon to bereciprocated across the machine, a lever fulcrumed to said carriagehaving an arm extending in one direction bearing a trumpet guide for aroving or the like, and an arm extending in another direction havingspaced apart electric contacts, oppositely acting springs for normallyholding said lever in an intermediate position, an arm upstanding fromsaid carriage bearing a roving guide substantially spaced above saidtrumpet guide, a fixed contact member extending across the machine inposition to be engaged by said spaced apart contacts on said lever armWhen said lever is displaced from normal position, and an electriccircuit for operating said electrically controlled device'havingterminals leading to said fixed contact member and to said spaced apartmovable contacts.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FREDERICK W. SUMNER.

"Witnesses:

LoUIsn A. JORDAN, CLYDE L. ROGERS.

obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

